Humanities Internship Spotlight
Kaylee Tran | Jesse Johnson | Dahye Myoung
| Emily Quinn Dial | Min Jeong Kim
Humanities students gain valuable, career-ready skills through their coursework and co-curricular programs. Internships offer an essential opportunity to apply these skills in real-world settings, explore potential career paths, and gain professional experience. For many students, completing an internship is a key step in successfully transitioning from college to the workplace.
From actively dancing to watching football on TV, I have always been drawn to the sports world, so when this head recruiting internship opportunity with Utah football arose, I took it. It has led me to a passion for working behind the scenes in the sports industry.
In the recruiting department, we met many different people from different parts of the country and all walks of life. In this job, I developed the skill of being able to talk with them and connect on just about anything. Building strong relationships comes from being friendly while also being professional. Professionalism, I think, is a must wherever you go. In this case, professionalism was especially important because I was representing a brand.
During this internship, I had the opportunity to step into one of the head intern roles, where I helped my peers learn needed skills and helped my boss with tasks. I worked with and helped other departments as well, which broadened my career opportunities. In the role, I developed strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills. I tackled long or even last-minute tasks, remained on schedule and even delegated tasks.
Many projects required creativity and innovation. This was meaningful to me because it pushed me to always try to become better—and there is always a way. The opportunity to offer new ideas and solutions was always arising because the organization likes to keep things moving smoothly. Interns were always asked for their opinions, and we felt free to voice our ideas as needed.
There were certainly challenges in the internship. I overcame them by asking questions and communicating when I was struggling or didn’t know something. Asking a question is always better than guessing and getting it wrong. One communication strategy that helped me was trying to understand the demographic I was working with so that I would know what its members would like and want.
The advice I would give other students exploring similar opportunities is to always try to give it their all. Starting something new and foreign can be scary, but you never know how you’ll do until you try, and you should always give it your all.
Jesse Johnson
Major(s): Communication
Internship: Office of Alumni Relations
Role: Networking Intern
I was drawn to this networking internship with the Utah Athletics Office of Alumni Relations because of its convenient on-campus location and because it aligned with my goal of learning more about marketing — even if it wasn’t directly under the marketing team.
I worked closely with the director of networking and the marketing and communications specialist to promote events. I developed skills such as communication, goal-setting, project management and networking. I learned how networking plays into marketing and how two different teams — marketing and networking — work together to make events and daily operations happen.
In this role, I was given opportunities to pitch my own ideas for the UAlumni Instagram page, and I executed these posts on my own. I developed concepts and explained to the marketing team how they would benefit the Office of Alumni Relations before posting. Near the end of my internship, I got the chance to create reels from previous conferences and graphics from networking events, which allowed me to express my creativity.
I was interested in this internship because I wanted to get real experience creating digital content. As a communication major, I enjoy learning how videos and online content can connect with audiences. During this internship, I practiced skills such as filming videos, making thumbnails and writing descriptions. Sometimes I filmed in public places; I made sure to be polite, ask for permission and not disturb others. I also shared creative ideas, such as new thumbnail styles and content concepts, that helped improve the overall quality and engagement of our online content. I explained my ideas by talking with team members and showing simple examples, which helped them understand and use my suggestions. These experiences helped me move closer to my career goal of working in digital media or marketing.
In this role, I worked with team members who had different roles and creative styles. By communicating openly and respecting different ideas, I built relationships and learned how to collaborate more effectively. I shared ideas, listened to feedback and worked with teammates to complete tasks on time. These experiences helped me become more adaptable and confident when working with diverse teams. Since this was my first internship working closely with other team members, I was worried and not very confident that I could do well. However, my teammates supported me and helped me adjust to the work environment. Because of their support, I gradually became more confident and was able to perform my tasks better.
In this role, I improved my communication skills through teamwork and learned how to manage my time better while filming videos, designing thumbnails and completing other tasks. These experiences helped me understand how different parts of content creation work together to reach and engage audiences. I also became more confident and better prepared for future jobs in digital media or marketing.
Our team once had different opinions about how a video thumbnail should look. Some wanted a simple design, while others preferred something more colorful and eye-catching. To understand each other and work toward the same goal, I tried to listen carefully to my team members and share my ideas clearly. Since the direction was not clear, I suggested using a clean layout with one strong visual element. This idea helped the team agree on the final design and work together more smoothly. From this experience, I learned how to listen to different ideas and make decisions in uncertain situations.
Experiences such as designing video thumbnails allowed me to be creative during my internship. It was meaningful because I could share my ideas and see how they helped make the content more engaging.
I would advise students seeking internships to stay open to learning and not be afraid to try new tasks. Taking initiative and communicating with team members can help them gain more meaningful experience and grow professionally.
I was drawn to the communications assistant internship with Filmtek Cloud because it combined communication, media and business in the film and television industry. I am interested in communication as well as digital media, so I was excited to gain real-world experience supporting professionals in the entertainment industry. This internship aligned with my professional goals because it gave me the opportunity to develop skills such as client communication and event coordination. It also gave me insight into the operations of the film and television business.
I contributed to the Filmtek team by assisting with key tasks that supported the company’s daily operations. I assisted with client outreach and organized client feedback so the team could better understand clients’ needs. I also assisted with preparation and coordination for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference in April. During planning, we stayed organized, maintained communication with clients and promoted the company’s services within the film and television industry.
By sending client outreach emails and logging feedback, I strengthened my professional organization and communication skills. I learned how many different parts of a company work together, which improved my systems thinking. For example, planning for the NAB conference and organizing client feedback showed me how marketing, client relations and operations all connect to support the company’s goals.
I also learned how to work with people who have different roles and areas of expertise within the company. Communicating with team members in marketing, client relations and operations showed me how each role contributes to the company’s success. Because Filmtek works with professionals in the film and television industry, I also gained an understanding of different perspectives and professional needs. Through this experience, I became more adaptable and a better collaborator with people from different backgrounds and disciplines.
In this internship, the best communication strategy was to remain clear and organized. When assisting with client outreach or feedback, I made sure the information was recorded accurately and shared with the team so everyone stayed informed. I also focused on being professional and respectful in emails and team discussions. Through clear communication and collaboration, I aligned with my teammates on shared goals. This helped prevent misunderstandings when we worked on projects such as conference planning or social media campaigns.
Last semester, I saw some juniors and seniors participating in this internship, which involves planning and producing YouTube videos that can help foreigners living in Korea. I was motivated to apply because I am a communication major with an emphasis in journalism, and my career goal is to become a video producer. I wanted to gain experience with video production in various settings. Additionally, I believe my role as an editor in this internship will strongly support my professional goals. Through this position, I have strengthened my video editing skills while gaining practical experience.
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Any views, experiences, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this student internship highlight do not necessarily represent those of the College of Humanities.